Annular ring control of feed stations for circular knitting machines



`Fan. 10, 1967 G. BILLl 3,296,835 ANNULAR RING CONTROL OF FEED STATIONSFOR v CIRCULAR KNTTlNG MACHINES Filed July 13, 1964 2 Sheets-$heet l g M@MQ All) Jan. 10, 1967 G. BILLI 3,295,836

ANNULAR RING CONTROL OF FEED STATIONS FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINESFiled July 1s, 1964 2 sheets-sheet 2 United States Patent O 3,296,836ANNULAR RING CONTROL F FEED STATIONS FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINESGiorgio Billi, Viale Torricelli 23, Florence, Italy Filed July 13, 1964,Ser. No. 382,115

Claims priority, application Italy, July 18, 1963,

4 Claims. (Cl. 66-138) The present invention relates to circularknitting machines and more particularly to machines of this characterhaving a plurality of yarn feeding stations and a plurality of yarnguides at each station.

In accordance with the usual arrangement, the yarn guides at eachstation are selectively controlled by pattern control apparatus. Thepresent invention provides a master control which simultaneously placesall of the yarn guides at all of the stations in their inoperativepositions. The arrangement, according to the invention, provides a fixedannular member on which the yarn guides are mounted. At each station,all of the yarn guides are mounted in a pivotal support. A cam ringlocated beneath the fixed annular member is movable through a smallangular displacement coaxially with the needle cylinder to raise orlower all of the pivotal supports simultaneously. When the pivotalsupports are raised, all of the yarn guides at all of the stations areheld in their inoperative positions independently of the pattern controlmechanism. When the pivotal supports are lowered by displacement of thecam ring, the yarn guides are individually controlled in the usualmanner by the pattern control mechanism.

The invention will be described in greater detail inthe followingspecication with reference to the accompanying drawing forming a parthereof.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view in radial section of a rim structureincluding oscillatory yarn-guide, the guide being in its operativeposition;

FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 1 but showing the support in its raisedposition;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG. l;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary plan view partially broken away to illustratedetails of construction;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view along the line V-V of FIG. 4.

Referring to the drawing, a needle cylinder designated generally as 1 isprovided with a sinker-carrying ring 2. A fixed annular member 3surrounds the upper end of the needle cylinder 1 and the ring 2. Pivotpins 4 are provided for pivotally mounted supports 5. The pins 4 arexedly mounted by brackets secured to the annular member 3. A suitablenumber of yarn guides 6 (four being illustrated) are mounted in each ofthe pivotal supports 5 and a support 5 is positioned at each of the feedstations around the needle cylinder 1, the number of feed stationsusually being four or six. The arrangement of supports 5 and yarn guides6 described above is conventional in the art and does not require a moredetailed explanation.

The invention involves means for moving all of the supports 5 togetherwith their yarn guides 6 simultaneously from the operative positionshown in FIG. l to the inoperative position shown in FIG. 2independently of the usual means for selectively rendering a certain oneor more of each group of yarn guides 6 operative and the othersinoperative. For this purpose, U-shaped supports 7 are provided atregularly circumferentially spaced locations around the annular member3. As illustrated, a U- shaped support 7 is associated with each of thepivotal ICC supports 5. A cam ring 8 is freely movably supported by theU-shaped supports 7, the cam ring 8 being concentric with the needlecylinder 1. The cam ring 8 is movable through a small limited angulardisplacement coaxially with the needle cylinder 1 by a radiallyextending manually operable lever 9 the free end of which is providedwith a knob 9a. The lever 9 is secured to the cam ring 8 by a clampmember 10.

In proximity to ea-ch of the U-shaped supports 7, the cam ring 8, whichis of rectangular cross-sectional configuration, has an upwardly openingrecess formed therein which is connected by an inclined plane camsurface 8a with the fiat annular upper surface of the cam ring 8.Directly above each U-shaped support 7 there is a freely verticallyslidable cam follower pin 12 the lower end of which is selectivelyengageable either with the bottom of the depression at the lower end ofthe cam surface a or with the fiat upper surface of the cam ring 8 bydisplacement of the lever 9. The upper end of each pin 12 engages one 0fthe pivotal supports 5. In their operative positions, as illustrated inFIG. 1, the pivotal supports 5 all engage the upper surface of the fixedannular member 3 and the lower ends of all of the pins 12 are in thebottoms of the recesses adjacent to the lower ends of the cam surface8a. Upon displacement of the lever 9 clockwise as viewed in FIG. 4, allof the pins 12 are simultaneously displaced upwardly in unison by thecam surfaces 8a and the pins 12 are thereafter supported by the uppersurface of the cam ring 8. When the pins 12 are supported by the uppersurface of the cam ring 8, all of the pivotal supports 5 are in theinoperative position shown in FIG. 2.

It will be appreciated that, because of the small angularl displacementof the cam ring 8 which is required to move the pivoted supports 5between their operative and inoperative positions, power operated meansmay be used instead of or in addition to the lever 9.

While I have shown and described what I believe to be the bestembodiment of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in theart that various changes and modifications may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in theappended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a circular knitting machine of the type comprising a needlecylinder, a plurality of yarn feed stations, and a plurality of yarnguides at each station, each yarn guide being individually movable'between operative and inoperative positions, the improvement whichcomprises the' provision of a fixed ring member concentric with saidcylinder; a pivotally mounted support member at each feed station, eachsupport member being carried by said ring member and supporting all ofthe yarn guides at one of said stations, each of said support membersbeing movable between an operative position wherein said yarn guides ateach station are individually movable between said operative andinoperative positions and an inoperative position wherein all of saidyarn guides at each station are held in their inoperative positions, acam ring member carried by said fixed ring member concentrical- 1y withsaid needle cylinder for limited angular displacement coaxially withsaid cylinder, said cam ring member having a plurality of recessesformed therein each connected to one of the surfaces of said cam ringmember by a cam surface, a plurality of cam follower members eachengageable with one of said pivotal support members to displace the samebetween its operative and inoperative positions, each of said camfollower members being displaced by one of said cam surfaces in responseto said angular displacement of said cam ring member, all of saidpivotal members being displaced in unison between said operative andinoperative positions by said angular displacement of said cam ringmember, and means for selectively causing said angular displacement.

2. The improvement according to claim 1, wherein said cam ring member islocated below said fixed ring member, said cam ring member having a flatannular upper surface from which said recesses extend downwardly, inwhich each of said cam follower members is a pin vertically slidablethrough said fixed ring member, the upper end of each pin engaging oneof said pivotally mounted support members for displacement thereof, andwherein the lower end of each pin is selectively and progressivelyraised or lowered by one of said cam surfaces to engage either said flatannular upper surface of said cam ring member or the bottom of one ofsaid recesses.

3. The improvement according to -claim 2, further comprising a pluralityof U-shaped supporting members connected to the under side of said fixedring member, said cam ring member being circumferentially slidable insaid supporting members, each of said supporting members being locateddirectly below one of said pins.

4. The improvement according to claim 1, wherein said means for causingsaid angular displacement is a manually operable lever.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT R. MACKEY,Acting Primary Examiner. MERVIN STEIN, Examiner.

R. FELDBAUM, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN A CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE OF THE TYPE COMPRISING A NEEDLECYLINDER, A PLURALITY OF YARN FEED STATIONS, AND A PLURALITY OF YARNGUIDES AT EACH STATION, EACH YARN GUIDE BEING INDIVIDUALLY MOVABLEBETWEEN OPERATIVE AND INOPERATIVE POSITIONS, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICHCOMPRISES THE PROVISION OF A FIXED RING MEMBER CONCENTRIC WITH SAIDCYLINDER; A PIVOTALLY MOUNTED SUPPORT MEMBER AT EACH FEED STATION, EACHSUPPORT MEMBER BEING CARRIED BY SAID RING MEMBER AND SUPPORTING ALL OFTHE YARN GUIDES AT ONE OF SAID STATIONS, EACH OF SAID SUPPORT MEMBERSBEING MOVABLE BETWEEN AN OPERATIVE POSITION WHEREIN SAID YARN GUIDES ATEACH STATION ARE INDIVIDUALLY MOVABLE BETWEEN SAID OPERATIVE ANDINOPERATIVE POSITIONS AND AN INOPERATIVE POSITION WHEREIN ALL OF SAIDYARN GUIDES AT EACH STATION ARE HELD IN THEIR INOPERATIVE POSITIONS, ACAM RING MEMBER CARRIED BY SAID FIXED RING MEMBER CONCENTRICALLY WITHSAID NEEDLE CYLINDRICAL FOR LIMITED ANGULAR DISPLACE-